Trading Places
by Misura
Summary: [AU] A bet results in Joey losing his job, while creating opportunities for a number of other people. [various shounen-ai pairings and one shoujo-ai]
1. One

Trading places

_prologue_

Warnings/notes : AU, Seto/Joey, Otogi/Honda, Yami/Yugi, Bakura/Ryou, Mai/Shizuka, Noa/Mokuba, Anzu/?, slightly silly, hints at Otogi-Shizuka, Honda-Shizuka, Bakura-Yami, Yami-Bakura, ooc.

Disclaimer : I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. This plot is loosely based on the movie 'Trading Places' (1983), especially the beginning. The idea to do a Seto/Joey-fic based on this movie is Sarasusa's

written at 11th july 2004, by Misura, as a birthday-offering for Sarasusasamiga.

(!)In this fic, Noa has been -adopted- by Gozaburo, while Seto and Mokuba are Kaibas by blood.

(!)Valuta will be translated to dollars, though this fic takes place in an AU that's neither America nor Japan. I have no knowledge about actual salaries for P.I.s, sorry.

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"Life," Ryuuji Otogi stated, sipping his coffee, "is all about luck. If you're not lucky, you'll never get anywhere. It's all about being at the right places, at the right times. Fate has a much stronger hold over our lives than we ourselves ever will."

x

(elsewhere)

The small sign on the door said that this apartment was the residence of 'Yami M. and Bakura R., the best and cheapest detectives of Domino'. That last part was half-true.

"Do you know how long it's been since we got an actual job?" Bakura fumed, pacing the room that was the official office. It looked as run-down and tattered as the rest of the apartment. As the rest of the building, really.

"One week, four days, three hours and twenty-three minutes," Yami replied calmly. He made a movement as if he wanted to lean back in his chair, but straightened again at the ominous creaking sound the wood of the chair produces as he shifted.

Bakura snorted. "I do -not- call finding a lost poodle 'an actual job'. Besides, what did we get paid for that? Five dollars?"

"Fifteen," Yami corrected him. "And a fresh apple-pie, a pan of soup and an invitation for dinner to come and meet Mrs. Inu's charming daughters."

Bakura shivered proverbially. "They'd have to -pay- me to spend any time in the company of those five girls. I always thought sexual harassment by women was something that only happened in movies and novels, like 'Disclosure', but since I've met -them-, I've changed my mind."

"They just like you," Yami smirked. "You have such lovely white hair, and such a sexy voice - "

Bakura glared at him.

"And such expressive chocolate-brown eyes," Yami finished, grinning.

"You wouldn't think it was funny if they were crawling all over -you- the moment you sat down," Bakura grumbled.

"Probably not," Yami admitted cheerfully. "But that's not the case, is it?"

"Speaking of cases ... " Bakura finally sat down, picking up one of the many bills that were lying on the desk. "What are we going to do if nothing comes up before Friday? The rent's due then, you know, and I doubt if Kariru's going to cut us any slack."

Yami shrugged. "Something will come up before Friday. I'm sure of it."

"How?" Bakura inquired, jumping up again, seemingly unable to keep quiet. "It'd have to be someting big, something that pays really well. Face it, Yami, that's not going to happen."

"Have faith," Yami answered lightly. "Trust me, luck's on my side."

x

"That's nonsense," Hiroto Honda replied. "Without the skills and the smarts, nobody can profit from the opportunities life gives him. You can make your own luck, create your own chances, but you can never make yourself smarter or better than you actually are."

x

(elsewhere)

The seventeenth floor of the Kaiba Corp. Headquarters was filled with the sound of ticking, occasionally interrupted by the buzz of a printer, spitting out reports or memos. Normally, there also might have been the hushed sound of people talking, but it was common knowledge that Mr. Kaiba did not approve of 'idle chattering'.

The big man himself didn't often leave his private office on the top-floor to personally inspect the lower floors, yet whenever he did, people ended up being fired. The last time that had happened had been two weeks ago, meaning that the memories were still fresh.

Nobody wanted to risk his or her job for some gossip.

"You're late."

There were exceptions, of course. Or people who simply didn't care.

"Awww, are you jealous, Ryuzaki?" a blonde young man sagged down in his chair. His clothing was unusually casual, consisting of a pair of jeans and a shirt. Most males in the office wore suits.

Mr. Kaiba did not approve of 'casual looks' either.

"Jealous? Of you? What on earth for?" Ryuzaki replied incredulously. "You've been on this job for two -years- now, and you haven't accomplished a single thing. The only reason you still have it, is because Mr. Otogi stuffed you in a closet the moment it was known Mr. Kaiba was coming this way. God only knows why they hired you in the first place. You're absolutely useless, Joey Wheeler. Useless."

Joey shrugged. "Otogi wants to date my sister, so he offered me a job. It's as easy as that. If you had a cute sister too, maybe you wouldn't have to slave around all day either."

"You disgust me," Ryuzaki hissed. "I was -proud- of having managed to get a job here, at Kaiba Corp., because they only take the very best of the best. Mr. Kaiba -personally- welcomed me to this corporation, telling me what he expected of his employees and how he never accepted anything below the highest quality. I had worked for this all my life. And then I met -you-."

"And now all you want is to have my baby and spend the rest of your life raising kids and house-keeping? Sorry, Ryuzaki, I don't swing that way." Joey laughed at Ryuzaki's furious expression.

"I hope you'll drop back in the gutter where you came from one day. Then we'll see who's the one laughing," Ryuzaki snarled, turning his attention back to the screen of his computer.

"That's never going to happen," Joey replied confidently. "Shizuka'd never want to see Otogi again if he fired me."

Ryuzaki did not dignify that with a reply.

x

"I disagree." Otogi smiled. "In fact, I disagree so strongly that I'm more than willing to make a little bet about my being right."

"How did you imagine to prove I'm wrong?" Honda inquired. "I mean, it seems to me this is just one of those debates that can go on and on, without reaching a conclusion."

"A test, of course." Otogi's gaze wandered to the cookies that were lying on a plate in the middle of the table. He picked one. "As you know, I'm the head of R&D at Kaiba Corp.. Only the best of the best work there, the people with the highest 'skills and intelligence', so to speak. I propose to fire one of them, send him to live out on the streets and see how well he does. According to your theory, he should be fine, since his abilities will 'create chances'. However, if he fails, you'll have to admit that luck is the more important factor."

"You firing him doesn't mean he can't get a job elsewhere," Honda pointed out.

"Not necessarily, no," Otogi admitted. "But I'll have a team of hackers take care of that problem. For the duration of the bet, it will be as if he doesn't exist for any computer. He'll have to make do with what he has and what money he makes on his own."

"That sounds reasonable," Honda agreed. He looked suspicious.

"Doesn't it?" Otogi contentedly nibbled on his cookie, like a cat who had just gotten to the cream. "So ... do we have an agreement?"

Honda nodded. "Yes. I accept the bet. With one small addition."

"And what would that be?" Otogi curiously raised one eyebrow.

"I want you to pick a random person from the streets, someone who, according to your theory, has simply been unlucky. If he manages to become a useful member of your work-force within two months, I'll consider it proven that you're right; that he's simply had bad luck. But if he can't fit in, it proves that he lacks the skills and that -I- am right," Honda explained smugly.

Otogi grimaced. "Working at an R&D-department requires years of schooling, Honda. You can't seriously expect me to accept this."

"You can either accept it, or forget about the whole bet," Honda said firmly.

"You leave me little choice." Otogi sighed. "Very well then, it's a deal."

"Winner gets the usual?" Honda asked, reaching out to confirm the bet with a handshake.

"Of course." Otogi nodded.

There was the sound of a door opening and closing as their hostess walked back in, carrying a tray with fresh coffee and a cup of tea for herself.

"What were the two of you talking about that you're so quiet all of a sudden when I enter?" Shizuka asked, with a smile on her lips to make the question more teasing than stinging.

"Your beauty simply has the power to turn any man speechless," Otogi quipped, grinning.

Shizuka giggled and blushed, then shook her head. "You are impossible."

"It's true!" Otogi protested. "Ask Honda, if you don't believe me."

"I will not embarrass him like that." Shizuka sat down in a chair, two seats away from Otogi and only one from Honda.

"Actually, we were talking about your brother. There's this little experiment we'd like him to participate in ... " Otogi started.

tbc?


	2. Two

Trading places

xx

Warnings/notes: see first chapter. Also, Quick Edit automatically cuts any - followed by a non-letter sign. Sorry if that makes the text unclear at any point.

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. This plot is loosely based on the movie 'Trading Places' (1983), especially the beginning. The idea to do a Seto/Joey-fic based on this movie is Sarasusa's

Thanks to the people who reviewed the first chapter:

To Yukiko: Just for Joey? –winks- Thank you!

To Darkmus: Aw-w-w, come on, it's a Romance/Humor-fic. No need to over-worry. As to the pairings … well, erh, I believe there's someone for everyone! –winks- Thank you!

To RaineKitsune: Maaaybe. Or maybe not. You'll have to read and find out. –smiles- Thank you!

To Mangez-Maltesers: Malik is … not there! –coughs guiltily- Sorry for that. Hope you'll enjoy the rest of this fic anyway. Thank you!

To ChibiSerenity3: Thank you! I just hope the beginning won't be the only nice part. –looks slightly nervous-

To Killian: Thank you! It was a long wait but …

To Lil-Riter: Thank you! Here's at least a part of the rest. –smiles-

To Sapphire Dragons: I did. Pretty late but … Thank you!

To Caecuslupa: Uhm, you're in for a looong wait to find out the resolution of the bet. But I hope you'll like how the story will get to that. Thank you!

To Inuko Metallium: Believe me, not having seen the movie's actually a good thing. (I'm so going to butcher its plot. –sweatdrops-) Yup, and 'kariru' means something, too. At least, it says so in my 'How and What in Japanese'-booklet. –winks- Thank you!

To Sarasusamiga: Hm-m-m? No sympathy for Yami and Bakura? Or Ryuzaki? –winks- Thank you!

To CrossHunt-s: Thank you! I did continue.

To Chibi Nao-chan: But … they –are- together. See? –blinks- Oh, you meant 'together', not together. Yes, well, sorry for that. I hope you'll like the rest of this fic anyway. Thank you!

To DarkShadowFlame: Lookies, I updated on the day you requested! –coughs- Well, kind of. Thank you very much!

To radiany: Somehow, you can make me both desperately want to write and despair of my ability to do so. I think I can safely say that this chapter has been revised and started over from scratch more often than any ficlet I ever posted before. And the result is still one I'm discontent with. Still, I'd rather have you yell at me for my many errors than to not speak to me at all. To speak in Planet Ladder vol. 3-terms: you are Bambi to my Kaguya. (Even if I'm not Kaguya.) Thank you very much.

To Bourei no Hikari: Thank you! And you're kind of right about Otogi; I hope I can keep him cute!

written at 11th december 2004, by Misura

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There were, Bakura reflected, several things he did -not- want to hear at half past ten in the morning. 'Today is your lucky day' definitely made it to the top-5 of those things, coming straight after 'Ooooh, it's Bakura!' and 'Pay the rent -now, or I'll kick you out'.

Thus, when some black-haired weirdo that Bakura was sure to have never seen before had the audacity to grab his sleeve and inform him Lady Fortune had to be smiling down on him this morning, his first reaction was not to whoop with joy, the way the young man appeared to expect.

"Would you mind letting go of my arm, please?" Bakura requested politely. He knew that calmth and firmness didn't work on all psychotic maniacs, but it seemed rude to immediately assume the worst and beat up some stranger just for being a little ... strange.

"Didn't you hear me? Honda, come over here to congratulate this lucky fellow!" The black-haired man smiled in a way that made Bakura regret not having given in to his temper. It was the kind of smile that rich and snobby people used to thank a couple of P.I.s for finding their several billions' worth family heirloom, before asking them to leave by the backdoor, to keep the neighbors from seeing them.

Bakura tensed as he heard someone coming up from behind him. He was carrying little of value -his wallet had been as flat as, well, a really flat wallet for weeks, but that didn't mean he wanted to get caught by a couple of muggers.

"Listen, why don't you just leave me alone?" Bakura stepped back, somewhat relieved to notice the other not making any move to stop him.

"Now, don't let a sudden attack of nerves spoil the chance of your lifetime!" The young man actually patted his arm. Bakura decided that he -and his companion, too, possibly- were quite plainly insane. "Wouldn't you like to have a job at Kaiba Corp.?"

"Kaiba Corp.?" Bakura repeated incredulously. Well, that definitely proved that these people weren't entirely right in the head. Either that, or they were trying to trick him, maybe for one of those 'funny' TV-shows or something. He glanced around, to check for hidden cameras. "I really don't think so."

"What? But- " The man was persistent -or a great actor, Bakura had to give him that.

"Sorry, I'm already late for work. Bye." Bakura turned and made a run for the bus that was about to depart. As usual, he'd timed it perfectly; the bus left five seconds after he'd entered, making his escape complete.

If only everything was as easy ...

x

(elsewhere)

"Shizuka, dear, do you really want my honest opinion about this?" Mai Kujaku inquired, sipping coffee from a mug that Shizuka's etiquette-teacher would have declared to be 'most un-ladylike'. Shizuka would have disagreed with her -silently. She felt that Mai was the kind of person who could do anything at all, and still be a lady from head to toe.

"Yes. Of course." Shizuka smiled. "Why else would I bother you with a visit? Everyone knows how busy you are."

"Oh -your- visits are never a 'bother'. You're welcome any day. As I've told you a dozen times already." Shizuka blushed lightly as Mai scolded her. "I'm only busy for all those oafs who think that me not having a boyfriend equals me desperately wanting one." Mai snorted and shook her head.

"Well, I think you're the most beautiful and smart person I know," Shizuka said firmly. "I mean," she added, "I can see why boys would want to spend time with you."

"Ah, but why would -I- want to spend time with -them? That's the one-million-dollar question, isn't it?" Mai grinned. "Besides, don't underestimate your own charms either. I hate to say something positive about a guy like Otogi, but at least he's got taste, chasing after you."

"Otogi's not 'chasing after me'!" Shizuka protested. "He's just a friend. Actually, the one he'd like to get to know better is Joey, only he can't just step up and talk to him because of the strict policies about superiors and their subordinates at Kaiba Corp.."

"To be young and innocent again ... " Mai murmured. Shizuka stared at her blankly. "Never mind. I was going to tell you what I thought about this ... experiment Otogi wanted to set up."

Shizuka nodded.

"If truth be told, I think it's the most stupid thing I ever heard." Mai shrugged. "No offense, Shizuka, but this is -Joey, for crying out loud. He can't even go to the supermarket without getting into trouble. I've no idea how he does it, especially considering his usual aversion to doing anything that requires an effort and lacks a tangible reward, but it's undeniable."

"Perhaps ... I hoped that maybe if he would be made to feel like he's all on his own, he might change," Shizuka offered hesitantly. "I -know- he wants to do things, that he's not lazy. He only needs to figure out what's worth fighting for to him. He needs to find his place in life, instead of having people tell him where he belongs."

Mai stared at her with a hint of admiration in her eyes. "You really love him, don't you?"

"He's my brother." Shizuka blinked.

"I wonder if you're right about him." Mai looked thoughtful. "Still, I suppose there's only one way to find out, eh? Don't worry; I know the perfect way to make sure Joey doesn't end up in too big a mess for him to get out off. Or rather: the perfect -people-. Do you have anything important to do this afternoon?"

"No, not really."

"Excellent."

x

(elsewhere)

Noa scowled as he stared at the maths-assignment on the screen of his computer. A small counter in the right-bottom of his screen indicated he was expected to be able to solve this problem in less than ten minutes, a digital hourglass informing him that half of that time had already passed.

With a flick of his wrist, Noa de-activated the timer. It had been child's play to crack the protective wards that had been installed to keep people from tampering with the tutor-program, and Noa had been very careful not to let on to his ability to practically let the thing do whatever he wished it to do.

In part, of course, by not using it more often than was necessary.

Today though, his head felt like it was stuffed with cotton. Or at least the part of his head that normally contained his brains. He wished he dared to leave this room, to go out and do something -fun-.

He wished that Mokuba was here.

tbc?


	3. Three

Trading places

xxx

Warnings/notes: see first chapter

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.

written at 2nd january 2005, by Misura

Thanks to the people who reviewed the second chapter:

To Alessa Embers: Thank you! I hope you'll keep feeling this fic's worthy of a spot on that list! (Uhm, I tried accepting it again. Still couldn't add any fics. –unhappy look-)

To crsg: Wow, thank you! I guess my attention-span's just not that long anymore or something. –coughs and blushes-

To darkmus: You know it's been too long since you last saw Star Wars when you start quoting it without even being aware. –grins sheepishly- Thank you!

To Bourei no Hikari: I'll take you not reading my notes as a vote of confidence. –winks- But yes, Mokuba and Noa have something going on in this fic. And Bakura and Malik do not, I feel obliged to add. And –gets a mental image of Otogi in leather and spontaneously forgets what else she wanted to say- Thank you!

To kireira: Thank you! Especially for not minding me getting a bit fangirlish over Mai. –winks-

To DarkShadowFlame: There's really only one person who could end up at Kaiba Corp. –grins- And you'll find out who in this chapter. (I really hadn't expected it to be a mystery to anyone but … it seems it kind of turned out that way.) In theory, I'm going to make this my new updated-every-Monday-fic. In practice … -blushes- Thank you very much!

To the moon at twilight: Thank you, I did my best! –smiles-

To Snow Angel: Read and find out! Well, you won't find out –everything- this chapter, of course, but … Thank you!

To clarity: Thank you! I hope you'll enjoy the plot I came up with.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"I don't get it," Otogi complained. "What's wrong with all these people? Why doesn't anyone want a job at the biggest corporation of this land, not to mention the most prestigious one? Don't they understand what a golden chance I'm offering them?"

"Actually, you're just offering them two months' worth of work, in an environment they know perfectly well they're not going to fit in," Honda pointed out. The two of them had sought out a lunch-room after an unsuccessful morning spent trying to recruit the second unknowing participant in their 'experiment'.

"They don't know it's only for two months," Otogi responded. "And most of them wouldn't even stay still long enough for me to explain what it was they were going to be supposed to be doing."

"You must admit, it's a bit ... unusual to have someone -asking- you to come and work for Kaiba Corp.. Like you said, it's a very prestigious corporation. Perhaps if you'd shown them your ID-card, they -might- have been more receptive," Honda suggested.

Otogi stared at him in horror. "My ID-card? Are you crazy? If Mr. Kaiba'd find out about this -which he'd surely would, if I'd gone around waving my ID- I'd lose my job for sure, no matter how much great things I've done for my department."

"Maybe, yes." Honda shrugged. "Still, no random replacement for your employee, no bet."

"I'm not giving up that easily, Honda," Otogi assured him. "After all, I've taken this entire day off, and I'm positive I'll find someone this afternoon. This morning was mere bad luck."

"Sure, sure." Honda looked skeptical.

"You'll see: Lady Fortune has never let me down thus far," Otogi said self-assuredly. From the corner of his eyes, he noticed a tall young man with short brown hair making his way to their table with a determined expression on his face. "In fact, I believe she might just have decided to spare me from spending any more time humiliating myself on the street."

"I'd better not find out this is someone you've hired in advance to meet us here, Otogi," Honda warned him. "Someone who just happens to be some hot shot in the programming department, fresh from the University or, better yet, recently fired by one of our competitors."

"Would I do that? To my best friend?" Otogi did his best to look like innocence personified, all too aware that the effect was rather the opposite of trustworthiness. "No, seriously, Honda. Our bets are holy to me; I'd never lower myself to cheating. Especially since I don't need to."

"Right." Honda snorted. "I'm -so- going to enjoy winning this one."

"Oh, hush." Otogi turned around to greet whom he hoped to be the instrument to his victory. After all, Joey had never done anything; his substitute wouldn't need to do anything either. Eager as he was to win this bet, Otogi wasn't prepared to sacrifice his department's efficiency for it.

He'd simply trust on Joey to screw up completely. The man had worked for him long enough for Otogi to realize that if there was a single quality Joey possessed, it was that: the ability to make a mess of things.

"Good afternoon. Am I correct in assuming you came here looking for me?"

Otogi's smile was not returned, though the young man inclined his head, briefly. "You are. I hear you've been asking people if they'd like to work at Kaiba Corporations."

"That's right." Otogi threw a triumphant glance at Honda. "Would you happen to be interested?"

"Yes. I suppose you could say that." Seto Kaiba smiled then, but there was not a spark of warmth to the expression on his face. Otogi completely missed this, too busy congratulating himself on his good fortune, but Honda did see it and, unable to suppress a shiver, wondered if this had been such a smart idea after all.

xxxxx

(elsewhere)

"Kariru's going to throw us out first thing in the morning tomorrow," Bakura moaned. In truth, he wouldn't particularly miss this place -it was a complete dump- but the indignity of getting kicked out, and the knowledge that Kariru would enjoy every second of it, was enough to get to him.

"Stop being such a hopeless pessimist!" Yami scoffed.

"I'm not being a pessimist; I'm being a -realist-. If anyone's being hopeless here, it's you! I'm telling you, Yami, we'd better start packing our stuff. At least the things Kariru could break by kicking them out on the street, right after us." Bakura walked to one of the file-cabinets, to search for articles worth keeping.

"I -know- I should be as desperate as you," Yami said, so softly that Bakura had to strain his hearing to understand him. "But if I give in to despair, what's left? I can't stop believing that somehow, someway, everything will turn out all right. It would kill me."

"You're making me feel sentimental." Bakura sighed. "And a jerk. Listen, Yami, why don't you go home? Do some reading, or maybe catch up on your correspondence with that guy in Egypt. He's been bugging you for ages to drop by for a little vacation, all expenses paid; why not give him a call now and take him up on that offer? You could use a break, and God knows you deserve one."

"And leave you on your own here?" Yami scowled. "Don't be ridiculous, Bakura. We -"

There was the sound of a knock on the door. A firm knock, of someone who knew what he -or she- wanted here. Yami and Bakura exchanged a look.

"It might be Kariru," Bakura remarked, his voice level.

"Yes. It probably -is- him," Yami agreed.

"Or ... " -Bakura shivered- " ... Mrs. Inu and her daughters who've heard of our upcoming departure."

"That's not entirely unlikely either." Yami nodded.

"But then again ... " Bakura took one step in the direction of the door.

"You never know ... " Yami did the same.

They raced to the door as one, almost tearing it out of its hinges in their eagerness to open it.

xxxxx

(elsewhere)

"You," Mokuba stated solemnly, "are absolutely, one-hundred percent -nuts, big brother."

"Thanks, Mokuba, I love you too." Seto sighed, sinking down in his seat and reaching for the bowl of noodles that was to be his dinner.

Mokuba looked properly repentant as he grabbed a bowl for his own. "I mean, if you think this is a good idea ... " He stared at Seto, who shrugged. "Then I don't agree with you."

"I believe you made that clear already." Seto managed a smile.

"What if they find out who you are?" Mokuba asked, toying with his chop-sticks without eating. Seto, rather than say something about it, instead chose to give the right example by waiting a while with his answer and giving his attention to his food.

"They won't," he assured Mokuba. "Not unless I want them to. I've studied Otogi's profile thoroughly, and he's as good as harmless. A bit of a loser, really. He's been in love with the same woman for nearly five years now, and he still hasn't gotten much closer to her than as a vague friend. Aside from being rich, she's nothing special either."

"Oh, yeah, being in love makes people totally worthless in your opinion, doesn't it?" Mokuba sounded slightly bitter. "Because you're much too intelligent and smart to ever place someone else's happiness before your own."

Seto frowned. "That's not true. I love you a great deal; that's why I'm doing this. Because I want you to be happy."

Mokuba made no reply.

"Just don't tell Noa about this, all right?" Seto continued.

Mokuba stared at him in wide-eyed surprise. "How did you ... I mean ... "

"I know you're still seeing him, in spite of me ordering you not to." Seto shook his head. "It makes no difference anymore. The two of you are mere children. If you want to play around, fine. Just don't get into any trouble, and keep him out of my business."

"He'd want to help you!" Mokuba protested. "I'm sure the two of you would like each other, if only you'd give it a try."

tbc?


	4. Interlude

Trading places  
_interlude_

Warnings/notes: see first chapter

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.

written at 23rd february 2005, by Misura

Thanks to the people who reviewed the third chapter:

To Bourie no Hikari: Sorry, I guess Noa on top just doesn't do it for me? –blushes guiltily- I'll try to do better with updating, really! And thank you!

To DarkShadowFlame: I hope this chapter will unconfuse you on some matters, especially the Seto-Gozaburo matter. (It was so simple a plot when I wrote it! I definitely never meant for people to get puzzled about –that-.) But yes, Gozaburo is still alive. Thank you very much! (And you're so right about Yami and Bakura! –winks-)

To clarity: Uhm, where did I ever say that Gozaburo was Seto and Mokuba's father? I know it's really putting the A in AU, but … all I said was that they were born Kaibas. If Gozaburo has adopted a son, then obviously (or so I hoped), Seto and Mokuba aren't his offspring. Anyway, I hope this chapter will answer some of your questions. Thank you!

To ChibiSerenity3-hands you a platter of cookies- Yup, you got it right. (Though things are pretty weird too. –blushes-) Thank you!

To Lil-Riter: Actually, Otogi works for Mr. Kaiba. Since he didn't recognize Seto, I kind of hoped that it'd be clear that Seto Kaiba and Mr. Kaiba weren't the same person, but a lot of people didn't seem to read it that way. –blushes- Thank you!

To Aramis-chan: Thank you! Especially for the comment on Shizuka; I was afraid I'd made her a little –too- cute.

To Freak09: I did, I did. And I hope you'll be a little less confused by the end of this chapter. Thank you!

To radiany: Thank you very much for your detailed comments on most of my characterizations! I'll try to keep up the good ones, and improve the bad ones (even Otogi, though I'm afraid that to some extent, my plot has a reason for his acting a bit dumb). Concerning the Seto-Kaiba-connection, you're completely right. Of course, Otogi –would- recognize his employer, and people in general –would- recognize the big bad CEO of Kaiba Corp. The conclusion readers were supposed to reach from that scene was that apparently, in this AU, Seto Kaiba isn't a CEO. It felt perfectly logic when I wrote it, but I fear it didn't quite work out in reality. –sighs- I make another attempt at clearing things up in this chapter, which I hope will work. Thank you very much for your reviews.

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Please note that this was written -after- the actual chapter 4, mainly for the purpose of clearing the confusion I caused by wanting to be subtle. -coughblushes-  
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The top-floor of the building that housed one of the world's most prestigious corporations contained only one single office. That office was reachable by a single elevator, for which you needed a security-code as well as a special chip-card.

(Some employees on the lower levels joked that in case of fire, the man at the top was unlikely to be able to make it downstairs in time. They did so softly, though, and never anywhere within the building itself, since the knowledge that Mr. Kaiba had no sense of humor whatsoever was as common as that what he did have was a lot of security-cameras, all through the building.)

Once upon a time, that office had actually looked pretty comfortable. In fact, had anyone bothered to check, it hadn't been much over ten years ago that the personal domain of Kaiba Corp.'s C.E.O. had had nice, soft-blue wallpaper, with pictures hanging on the walls.

On some of those pictures one would have been able to find images of the creations of Kaiba Corp.'s technology; the Blue Eyes White Dragon in all its three-dimensional, holographic glory, next to the Dark Magician, with his strangely human eyes.

If one would have been to take a look at the picture that hung on the wall opposite of the big desk on which stood the computer that harbored most of Kaiba Corp.'s best-kept secrets, one would have seen that this was one of the few images with real people on it, produced by a rather cheap camera, judging by the poor quality.

That photograph, long gone by now, had depicted two children. One of them a brunette, with startlingly blue eyes, and the other, younger, with a big mop of black hair and eyes that bordered on grey. From its former, prominent place, one might deduce that these children had, in some way, been important to the person who once dwelled in this room.

This conclusion would have been correct.

However, that person had long since departed. In fact, none of the persons who currently worked at Kaiba Corp. would even be able to remember his name, or in which way he was related to their current employer.

To be sure-some- people had to remember, but they were smart enough to keep their mouth shut. Besides, it didn't really matter anymore, did it? Even if perhaps it had been more pleasant to work under that other man, the past was the past, and the dead couldn't be brought back to life.

Though every now and then, for a mere second, someone might wonder about those two children. They were, after all, if you looked at it in a certain kind of way, the rightful heirs to the corporation.

Unfortunately, they had also been missing since their father had been in a car-accident, in spite of all of their uncle's efforts to find them. A mysterious coincidence, that. Though it had certainly been a stroke of good fortune for Gozaburo Kaiba, who, until then, had never amounted to much.

xxxxx

(elsewhere)

To say that the person who was sitting at a table of the local Burger Queen looked a little strange, would be like saying that the hair of the boy sitting opposite him was slightly black. He wore green trousers, a rather strange kind of jacket -also green, if slightly darker- and his eyes were hidden by a pair of sunglasses, in spite of it not being summer.

His hair was green as well, a light, almost fluorescent kind that might remind people of the color of hair some characters in animes possessed.

"You know, this could cost me my job." His voice sounded slightly whiny, though that might be due to its owner considering the situation worthy of whining, rather than due to any defect to his vocal chords.

"Oh please." His companion snorted. "If you really believed there was any kind of risk involved, you wouldn't even be here. Besides, it's not like I'm asking your for any big secrets, Haga."

"No big secrets?" the young man who was called Haga sputtered. "There are supposed to be only three people who know the code you're holding right now."

"Yes, but it can't do any -harm- to Kaiba Corp. if this code would become public knowledge, can it? You're not guilty of any kind of industrial espionage by enabling me to sneak in to see Noa," Mokuba argued with a winning smile.

"That will be a great comfort to me, should Mr. Kaiba ever find out about this and kill me," Haga replied sourly. "Now, about my reward ... I want something simple this time."

"I'm scared already." Mokuba sipped from his cola. "Please tell me you don't want me to get you another super-rare butterfly that only lives in one special location at the other side of the world."

"A moth is -not- the same as a butterfly!" Haga huffed. "The two are quite different, as anyone who knows even this much about insects could tell you."

Mokuba shrugged. "Fine, fine, I believe you."

"Actually, what I want isn't for me at all. It's for my partner." Haga grinned. The expression did little to inspire any trust or peace of mind.

"What, exactly, do you wish for me to get for your partner?" Mokuba inquired cautiously.

"A boyfriend," Haga answered.

xxxxx

(elsewhere)

Ryuzaki decided that he didn't like empty desks.

He had, in truth, never expected to ever miss the junk that his least favorite colleague -if one could call a good for nothing like Joey Wheeler that- seemed to accumulate on his desk day by day, especially not considering that a good part of it appeared to consist of food that left a rather strong smell, but somehow, the office felt almost incomplete without it.

Under other circumstances, Ryuzaki might have considered the possibility of Joey having finally grown a brain and having cleaned up a bit, but he had found the desk in its current state this morning, and he knew he'd gone home well after Joey.

He'd, as usual, arrived as one of the first today, at seven sharp. The only person of the department who'd been there before him was Mr. Otogi, who would have no reason Ryuzaki could think of to rearrange the things on Joey's desk in any way.

Checking the clock, Ryuzaki decided that if Joey didn't show up to offer up some sort of explanation in another hour, he'd do something. What, precisely, Ryuzaki didn't know; he and Joey had never grown close enough to have exchanged phone-numbers or something like that, but, well, he -was- an employee of Kaiba Corp. He was an expert in research.

Somehow, he'd figure out a way to get to the bottom of this mystery.

tbc-


	5. Four

Trading places

xxxxx

Warnings/notes: see first chapter

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.

written at 4th january 2005, by Misura

Thanks to the people who reviewed the fourth chapter:

To clarity: -grins sheepishly- I guess I do stretch the term AU here; I just can't seem to help myself. As to everything making sense in the end … well, I sure hope it will, if I ever get there. –winks- Thank you!

To Freak09: Not exactly soon but there –is- an update, so I hope you'll forgive me for being late. –smiles-

To ChibiSerenity3: Not to burst your bubble or anything but … -none- of my stories really move anywhere, I think. They're just, well, there. –winks- Thank you!

To mandapandabug: In short: Gozaburo, Seto and Mokuba's uncle, is running Kaiba Corp after their father was in an accident and the two of them went missing. Otogi chases after Shizuka, much like he does in the anime, and he's made a bet with Honda to fire Joey and see if Joey's so-called skills will help him find a new source of income. In Joey's stead, he's hired Seto, presumably not knowing who Seto really is. It's all kind of complicated, and me wanting to keep some things secret or mysterious probably doesn't help either. –grins ruefully- Thank you!

To Lil-Riter: Kaiba is Gozaburo, definitely. (Though he prefers –Mr.- Kaiba. –winks-) Thank you!

To DarkShadowFlame: I must admit, I didn't read half as much from Shakespeare as I should have. But yes, this is a bit like Hamlet, except that Gozaburo didn't marry Seto and Mokuba's mother, or something like that. Mokuba and Noa are a little like Romeo and Juliet, too, except that I don't intend to let them commit suicide. –grins- Thank you very much!

To pixiestickchild: Thanks, I did!

To Radiany: Strange as it may sound, I mostly based Ryuzaki's personality on the impression I got from his voice in an episode I saw in another language, which took place during Battle City. Joey is intending to duel Espa Roba, and Ryuzaki really does sound like a mother-hen in warning him not to do it. He's also got a cute kind of accent that makes him sound caring, rather than, well, not caring. That scene was definitely at the back of my mind when I cast him as Joey's colleague.  
Gozaburo does not, in fact, have a picture of Seto and Mokuba in his office. That's what the line: "That photograph, long gone by now, had depicted two children." is supposed to say; Seto and Mokuba's –father- did have a picture of his kids there, but Gozaburo's not the sentimental kind, so he doesn't.  
Thank you very much for your review!

To Bourei no Hikari: Don't worry, I haven't mentioned yet who Haga's partner is. In fact, I haven't even mentioned what Haga does for a living, or why he'd need a partner. –winces- Thank you!

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Shizuka stared at the five bags that were standing on the floor of her bedroom in slight horror. Granted, they contained clothing for two months -though, of course, she'd wear some of them more than once, since it wasn't as if she was moving to some sort of barbaric location in the middle of nowhere.

Still, she felt like packing 'the bare necessities' should have resulted in far fewer luggage. Maybe if she unpacked all of it and then folded the clothes a bit more economically, she could ...

The sound of the doorbell prompted Shizuka to throw a quick glance at her watch, which told her that yes, it was pretty close to the hour on which Mai had promised to come and pick her up. With a last discontented look at the bags, she went to open the door.

As she'd expected, her visitor was, indeed, Mai Kujaku. And also as she'd expected, Mai had some comment on the amount of luggage she was going to bring with her, though not quite in the way Shizuka had feared.

"Are you sure you'll only need five bags?" Mai somehow managed to pick up three of them, making them all appear to weigh next to nothing at all. "Of course, we can always come back if you need anything."

Shizuka lifted the two remaining bags with a slight frown. "But I thought the idea was that it would disrupt the experiment if Joey would be able to find me at home and ask me for help."

Mai shrugged. "Well, quite aside from the dubious sense of that rule, you might remember that you -are- paying two detectives to keep an eye on Joey. If they're worth their money, they should be able to tell you where Joey is at any time of the day. We'll simply have to make sure he never gets any chance to spot you during the next two months."

"Two months sound like a very long time." Shizuka sighed.

"It all depends on whether or not you'll have anything else to do than worry about Joey. And, believe me, I have no intention of being a bad hostess and letting you get bored." Mai winked. "Those two months will have passed before you know it, and then we can all have a good laugh at Otogi and Honda, for coming up with such a silly idea. Unless Joey has beaten them to a pulp first, of course, which wouldn't entirely surprise me."

Shizuka, with a slightly disturbed expression, opened her motuh to say something, but Mai prevented her. "No, please, I'm only teasing you. Joey may be a bit of a hothead, and he might not quite see the joke of getting fired and made to live on his own strength for a while, but you shouldn't worry. We'll make sure nobody gets hurt. At least, nobody who doesn't deserve it."

Mai grinned, and Shizuka responded with a smile. "Thank you for your reassurances, and for all of your help. I'll do my best not to be a bother to you, and make it feel as if I'm not there at all these two next months."

"Now that," Mai stated firmly, "would be a very unkind way to repay me, Shizuka. Really, why would I invite you to stay at my house if I didn't want you to be there? Of course, I'm simply curious to see how Joey will do, and staying near you gives me the best opportunity to do that, but I also asked you because I quite simply enjoy your company."

Shizuka blushed. "You are very kind."

Mai looked slightly uncomfortable for the smallest of moments, before her usualy carefree expression returned. "Well then, no use in us standing here. Let's get you settled in your new home for the coming weeks."

xxxxx

(elsewhere)

"You!" Ryuzaki's sharp voice resounded through the hallway, earning him a lot of strange looks. In general, one did not scream in the Kaiba Corp. building. It was bad for one's career-prospects.

"Where have you been?" Ryuzaki appeared not to care one whit about career-prospects, the expression on his face that of a person who has been pushed well beyond their limits. "And what has happened to your desk?"

Joey (for he was the person Ryuzaki was yelling at) walked on without giving any indication that he'd heard Ryuzaki's questions. Had Ryuzaki been in the mood to note such details, he might have observed that Joey's shoulders were slumped, and his attitude unusually subdued.

Though Joey wasn't to be found up and awake too early in the morning, once he -had- dragged himself out of bed, he tended to be energetic and cheerful, ready to jump at anything that wasn't work. That still made Ryuzaki and most of his co-workers think of him as lazy, since, not-so-surprisingly, Mr. Kaiba didn't approve of activities that weren't work taking place in -his- building.

"Hey! I'm talking to you!" Ryuzaki managed to grab Joey's sleeve, forcing the other man to a halt.

"Oh, sorry." Joey turned, his lips curving in a grin. "I mean, it's cool and all that you're so upset about me leaving that you've come to see me off, but I told you before: you may not be the worst kind of guy that works here, only I'm straight, and that's that. Now, don't you have a project to finish or something?"

"What the ... you ... I ... " Ryuzaki sputtered. "I'm not interested in you like that, you moron! You could be the last other guy on earth, and I -still- wouldn't be! I just want to know what's going on around here!"

"I quit." Joey shrugged. "Well, actually I got fired, but hey, same thing, right?"

"Hardly." Ryuzaki frowned. Why had Otogi decided to get rid of his least useful employee -today-? A month ago, when they'd been flooded in work, yes, -then- it would have made sense to replace Joey with someone more skilled and willing to work, only currently, it was almost quiet. Sure, there were deadlines coming up, there always were, yet ... "What did you do?"

"Nothing." Joey snorted. "As usual. Ah well, I guess Otogi's simply over my sister. Good thing too, since the only way that slimeball would've gotten anywhere near her would have been over -my- dead body."

"That's - " Ryuzaki started, when a cold voice interrupted him.

"Joey, I suggest you get a move on. If you're still here in another ten minutes, Security will be forced to remove you for unauthorized trespassing. Ryuzaki, shouldn't you be working, instead of wasting your time chatting?" Otogi made a shooing movement with his hand. Joey glared at him, before vanishing into an elevator, without another look in Ryuzaki's direction.

"It's still thirty minutes to the end of my lunch-break," Ryuzaki informed Otogi, slightly surprised to find himself feeling stung by Otogi's casual threatening of Joey. He supposed it was merely a matter of principles; -nobody- should get fired without any reason and then get kicked out by Security on top of that, not even people as worthless and annoying as Joey.

"Good for you," Otogi replied, in the tone of someone who couldn't have cared less.

"And I want some clarifications," Ryuzaki continued, his gaze wandering to a small camera that hung in a corner, near the ceiling, and was facing the doors to the elevator. It was said that Mr. Kaiba used these cameras to keep an eye on everything that went on in his building. Ryuzaki had no idea if this was actually true, but he did know that Otogi couldn't take the risk.

Otogi seemed to know this as well. "About what?"

Ryuzaki hesitated for a few seconds. In the unlikely case that Mr. Kaiba -was- listening in on them, a question about Otogi's motivations for getting rid of Joey would hardly receive any kind of answer. Otogi was as aware as Ryuzaki that Mr. Kaiba didn't care who his directors fired, or why; all that mattered was that their departments functioned properly.

"Joey's replacement, for example. Who's going to take over his work? Any new person has to be screened by Security, which takes at least a week. We can't work properly for that long without one of our team's members!" They could, of course, and without any trouble, since Joey had rarely done -anything- productive, but Otogi'd hardly be able to point that out right here. It'd make him appear rather inefficient, for starters.

"Don't worry, I've already found someone." Otogi's smile seemed a little strained. "Security's checking up on his background should be finished this afternoon, so if all's well, you should meet him tomorrow morning. Which reminds me: I have a meeting with Honda in five minutes, so I really must be going."

x- tbc? -x

A/N: This chapter 'tasted' rather bland to me, but none of my attempts to rewrite it got me anywhere. I hope I'll feel better about the next one, once I've written it.


End file.
